A family in North Texas is suing Fort Behavioral Health alleging a near-fatal negligence.
A young husband, James, was admitted by his wife, Meredith to the facility due to his suicidal ideation (their names have been changed to protect their privacy). However, a near-fatal experience occurred under the facility’s watch, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
Meredith says that it has been almost a year since James came close to taking his life, and still has regular doctor appointments to determine the extent of the damage to his brain and body, reported the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Meredith and James recently lost a son, which caused James to go into depression.
“Our Fort Recovery team wants you to be as comfortable as possible during your time with us. We firmly believe that your surroundings have a significant impact on your recovery. As a result, the Fort Recovery facility, located in Fort Worth, Texas, provides a luxurious setting for residential treatment services. ‘The Fort,’ as it is known, takes care of your living needs so that you can solely focus on your recovery,” Fort Behavioral Health states.
Fort Behavior has faced scrutiny in the past; in 2020, an adult patient died under the facility’s watch.
The facility also came under public scrutiny after state regulators shut down the adolescent unit in early 2023, citing, an “immediate threat to the health and safety of children,” as reported in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Meredith received a call that had the caller ID of James, but in reality it was an employee from Fort Behavioral letting her know that James was being taken to JPS.
Meredith was upset and thought that James had died. She was also upset that the facility had failed to keep James safe and to prevent just such an incident.
“I told (the paramedic) I did not care what she had to do, how many times she had to do it, under no circumstances was he to not be breathing by some shape, form or fashion when I got to that hospital,” Meredith said, reported the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “That it was going to be my decision, and not for her to make.”
The Dallas Express reached out to Fort Behavioral Health but did not get a response.